Schneider Electric is bringing its collaborative approach to carbon and environmental solutions to this year’s Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal (Nov. 4-7) where it will facilitate progress towards the event’s carbon neutrality goal. Schneider Electric will work with the Web Summit to reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced from the event using a combination of energy attribute certificates and carbon offsets to address emissions produced by the event’s energy consumption and attendee travel.

“As one of the most sustainable companies in the world, Schneider Electric is committed to helping clients and partners in their own sustainability pursuits,” said Emmanuel Lagarrigue, Chief Innovation Officer at Schneider Electric. “We recently announced that we will reach our own carbon neutral goal by 2025, five years earlier than expected, and are looking forward to working with Web Summit to help them achieve their goals.”

Schneider Electric partners with organizations of all sizes to help them achieve their sustainability goals, and enabled the Paris Marathon to become the first carbon neutralmarathon earlier this year. To calculate the carbon footprint of the Web Summit, experts from Schneider Electric Energy and Sustainability Services will gather data, including the size of the event space, number of attendees, distance traveled and more. Once the footprint is calculated, the associated emissions will be addressed through clean technologies such as carbon offsets. A highly valid method of counterbalancing emissions, verified offsets can be sourced from a variety of projects, ranging from forestry to landfill gas capture and flare.

The Web Summit expects that more than 70,000 participants will travel to Lisbon for this year’s event. Offsetting the estimated GHG emissions from air travel alone for this amount of people would be the equivalent of planting more than one million trees. The estimation for emissions is based on an official air travel emission calculator prepared by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and takes into account the length of each flight, type of carrier and cabin class.

“Our global network of entrepreneurs and leaders presents us with an enormous opportunity to provide trusted guidance, inspiration and thought leadership in order to help us stand together in trying to solve the world’s biggest social, economic and environmental issues,” said Peter Gilmer, Chief Impact Officer of Web Summit. “We believe in leading by example and are pleased to have Schneider Electric with us, taking significant steps to continually improve the sustainability of our event.”

Schneider Electric is the world’s largest provider of corporate renewable energy consulting services and has worked with thousands of organizations to set and achieve environmental goals at all stages of their sustainability journey, including developing emission reduction and renewable energy procurement roadmaps. Emmanuel Lagarrigue will be participating on multiple panels at Web Summit and will discuss Schneider Electric’s Innovation at the Edge program, which includes investments, incubations, partnerships and joint ventures with start-ups and companies around the world to drive the sustainable energy revolution.

Going to Web Summit? Tips for a Sustainable Stay in Lisbon:

As the host city of Web Summit, Lisbon, Portugal is a leader in sustainability. The city was recently named as the 2020 European Green Capital award winner for its efforts in addressing sustainable land use, urban mobility, green growth and eco innovation, climate change adaptation and waste. While carbon offsets aren’t an option for everyone, there are many waysto incorporate more sustainable practices:

Explore Public Transportation

Lisbon has already implemented measures to restrict car use and prioritize cycling, public transport and walking. In 2017, Lisbon launched a bike-sharing scheme, with electric bikes comprising two thirds of the fleet to encourage cycling in the hillier parts of the city.

Limit Single-Use

When possible, utilize reusable utensils, glasses and coffee mugs in lieu of single-use containers or bring your own. This will greatly reduce the amount of waste that needs to be thrown away or recycled.

Dine Sustainably

Dining at places that source food locally can help to limit our carbon footprint. Lisbon is also home to many vegan and vegetarian restaurants.

To learn more about Schneider Electric’s sustainability journey, visit www.schneider-electric.us/en/about-us/sustainability/

About Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric is leading the Digital Transformation of Energy Management and Automation in Homes, Buildings, Data Centers, Infrastructure and Industries. With global presence in over 100 countries, Schneider is the undisputable leader in Power Management – Medium Voltage, Low Voltage and Secure Power, and in Automation Systems. We provide integrated efficiency solutions, combining energy, automation and software. In our global Ecosystem, we collaborate with the largest Partner, Integrator and Developer Community on our Open Platform to deliver real-time control and operational efficiency. We believe that great people and partners make Schneider a great company and that our commitment to Innovation, Diversity and Sustainability ensures that Life Is On everywhere, for everyone and at every moment.